Benefits of Light Timers

Light timers or lighting timers can help you make better use of your lights, allowing you to set up a lighting schedule without the complexity or expense of a full smart home system. With lighting timers, you can:

Set lights throughout your home to turn on in the evening and off at bedtime
Reduce the likelihood of wasting energy by making sure lights turn off when you don’t need them
Program lights to turn on and off while you’re away to make it appear someone is at home
Control your lighted holiday decorations automatically

The key to getting the most out of lighting timers is knowing how to use them properly. We’ll walk you through common steps for setting a lighting timer but always follow the instructions for your specific device.

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Types of Lighting Timers

A digital plug-in lighting timer and a digital in-wall lighting timer.

There are two main types of lighting timers:

Plug-in lighting timers are the most common and the easiest to use since you don’t need to wire them — simply plug these timers into standard electrical outlets.
In-wall lighting timers are more permanent devices. They’re designed to be hardwired into your home’s electrical system, typically replacing standard wall switches and may require an electrician to install.

Both of these are available as digital or mechanical models and you can choose from basic countdown and preset timers and models that let you set specific on and off times.

Caution

Lighting timers have ratings for specific amperages and may not be suitable for operating all electrical devices. Check your product instructions and cautions to know the timer capabilities and don’t exceed the device capacity.

Setting Lighting Timers

A close-up of the settings dial for a preset lighting timer.

Basic preset timers are the easiest to set. They typically have a dial or set of buttons that let you set the lights to turn on for a designated period of time.

For example, you may be able to set a light to be on for two, four, six or eight hours. Simply select your desired time period and the lights turn on. Once the time period is up, the timer turns the lights off. Many timers use light sensors to reset themselves so the lights turn on and off each day.

A close-up of a digital lighting timer showing a display screen and programming buttons.

Other timers allow you to set specific on and off times. For example, you can program the timer to turn on lights at 5:00 p.m. and turn them off at 11:30 p.m. These timers are the most versatile but require more setup. We’ll walk through general steps below.

Since plug-in timers are very common for a do-it-yourselfer to use, we’ll focus on those, but the actual programming steps for in-wall timers are very similar. Specific procedures and controls vary by timer model, so always follow the instructions for your timer.

Light Timer Setup Instructions

An outdoor lighting timer plugged in to an outlet and showing the 10 minutes after 10 o’clock.

Plug in the lighting timer to an electrical receptacle. The internal clock on the timer will begin to function. Depending on the timer, you may need to turn a main switch from OUTLET to TIMER.

Set the clock to the correct time.

On digital timers, there will be adjustment buttons that allow you to change the time. For timers that allow you to customize on and off times for each day, set the timer to the current day.
On mechanical timers, there will be a dial with numbers that indicate the time and shading to distinguish nighttime and daytime hours. Turn the dial to align the current time to the TIME mark on the device. Since there are usually only hour and half-hour markings on the dial of a mechanical timer, it’s easiest to set one at the top or bottom of the hour.

Caution

In most cases you should plug the timer directly into an electrical receptacle rather than connecting it to an extension cord or multi-outlet power strip. Check your instructions for specifics.

A close up of the settings dial on a mechanical plug-in timer.

As long as the timer is connected to power, it will maintain the current time. You can now program the device.

For digital timers, there should be a button labeled MODE, PROG or something similar. Press it and select the timer setting. Select the ON function either on the menu screen or by means of a button. Use the adjustment buttons to set the day (if equipped) and time you want the lights to turn on. Select the OFF function and use the adjustment buttons to designate when the lights should turn off. Some digital timers have multiple memory settings. Repeat the procedure above for each memory setting you plan to use.
On a mechanical timer there’s usually a series of pins or tabs surrounding the timer dial. Push in the tab closest to the time you want the lights to turn on. Now push in the tab closest to the time you want the lights to turn off. Finally, push in all of the tabs between the start time and end time. You can set multiple on and off times for the day by pushing in additional tabs. There are usually only a couple of tabs for each hour so you won’t be able to set the on and off times as precisely as you can with a digital timer.

Good to Know

Some timers for outdoor use have a dusk-to-dawn setting that makes setup even easier. If you activate this setting, the timer will turn on the connected lights once it begins to get dark and turn them off once it begins to get light again.

Connect the lights you want to control to the timer. If the light has a power switch, turn it on. Depending on the timer, you may be able to connect one or several lights. Don’t connect more lights or devices than the timer is designed to handle. If you need to set up more lights than the timer will support, purchase additional timers.

Check the operation of the timer to make sure the lights turn on and off when expected. Adjust the settings as necessary.

Tips for Setting Light Timers

Don’t use indoor-only timers outdoors. Make sure your exterior timers are rated for outdoor use and plug them into outdoor-rated GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlets.
Many timers have a switch that lets you bypass the timed function. If you activate the bypass switch, the timer simply acts as a power outlet and you’ll need to turn the lights on and off manually at the fixture.
Some digital timers have a battery backup that maintains the current time as well as the on and off settings in the event of a power outage.
When setting a mechanical timer, it’s useful to have a small screwdriver to push the tabs in and pull them back up if you need to reset the on and off times.
If you’re resetting a digital timer to a new time, you may need to clear the device memory before entering new settings. If you’re resetting a mechanical timer, you’ll need to reset the tabs first.
If your mechanical timer isn’t turning the lights on and off exactly when you want, you may be able to fine tune the settings by turning the timer dial. For example, if you want a light to come on at 5 p.m., set it as close as possible using the tabs. At 5 p.m. twist the dial until the lights come on. Keep in mind, this will change the internal clock and the time the lights turn off.

How to Set a Light Timer

Benefits of Light Timers

Types of Lighting Timers

Setting Lighting Timers

Light Timer Setup Instructions

Tips for Setting Light Timers

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